Azovith
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Geography
Ia
Ia is a dimension of swirling, nebulous mist and steam, rising from a great, infinite ocean with its far edges disintegrating into the void of elemental chaos. Azovith lies at the centre of Ia, suspended high above this ocean. The star Axab makes its orbit around Azovith, rising in the south and setting in the north, with one day lasting sixty hours.
Due to this geocentricism, the seasons of Azovith are not governed by the relative position of its sun but rather by the workings of the Ia dimension itself. The mist that rises up from the ocean will periodically increase and thicken into darker cloud forms which obscure Axab for most of its journey. There are also the great thunderstorms which occasionally quicken in the upper reaches of Ia. What causes either of these events to take place is unknown though it may have something to do with creatures that live in the void.
Ia itself incredibly lethal. Its atmosphere is of unknown composition, but deadly to all known creatures except the void dwellers themselves. The purple mists are mostly impenetrable to eyesight and plagued with poisonous clouds and storm pockets. The ocean of Ia contains numerous leviathan like monstrosities. The beings that live in Ia could not properly be classified as ‘species’ as they consist of singular demons, mutations and abominations spawned from the chaos that encroaches on all sides.
The Dysmanta and other Azovithan species are unrelated to these creatures and never venture outside of Azovith itself. The atmosphere of Azovith is markedly different from the rest of Ia, produced by the vegetation on its surface. Azovith is more oxygen rich than earth, with slightly less gravity.
Azovith Proper
Azovith is a flatworld and from the distance it appears as a giant, floating, hunk of rock - the towering mountain ranges that fence its edges hiding the lands within. The peaks of these mountains can approach up to fourteen miles high and are inhabitable on their outer slopes due to contamination by the mists of Ia.
The North and South of Azovith are separated, more or less equally, by the great Tep Sea - a half frozen ocean bristling with icebergs and fenced on its Northern shore by the Despan mountain range.
From Despan and into the lands of the north, the climate is comparatively temperate, attacked by titanic rainstorms only once or twice a year. The landscape itself is carved with dramatic valleys and peaks and the grasses that grow there are hardy and harsh. In the west lay the Forest Hills of Kawv, while the north east is home to the highest mountain in Azovith, Jespith. The north has a high water table, thanks to the river Jbaal and its underground tributaries and the most fertile land in Azovith radiates outwards from said river and into its western side. The greatest variety of plant life is found here, with the exception of the north-eastern plains, incredibly sparse, rocky areas dominated by helocanths.
From the shores of Tep and into the southern most point of Azovith, the lands are mostly flat and scourged by sandstorms. Rainfall is infrequent and the earth is hard and turns to sand quickly if you venture just a little to the west. Here the land is scarred with mines and great excavations, with the large city of Mulcion at their centre. The South East is largely desolate, though home to many underground settlements, with the exception of the Nova Basc.
Any human, elf, etc. unlucky enough to stubble through a gateway or somehow open a portal to Azovith would find themselves in quick peril. If they emerge in the wilderness it is likely they will starve to death, die of exposure or be picked off by a predator before they stumble upon any sort of civilization or means of sustenance. Most of the plant life in Azovith is inedible to non-natives and the scale of the land itself is vast. One can travel thousands upon thousands of miles before coming across any Dysmantan settlement.
In the north east and south west, the temperature reaches an average of 60°C at noon and at night it can drop to -40°C. Closer to the centre these extremes become more moderate, especially in the north, which averages 25°C in the day and -10°C at night. Approaching Despan, the temperatures drop into the minus fifties.
Flora and Fauna
Flora
The more temperate regions of Azovith are covered with tough, wild grasses. However the majority of plant life on Azovith is far less innocuous. Most vegetation is either carnivorous or poisonous and grows to great size. Along with these more deadly qualities, Azovithan flora is best compared to the plant life on Earth during the Triassic period.
Fauna
There is a wide range of animal life on Azovith, yet none of it mammalian in nature. Most creatures would be unclassifiable by Earths standards, though they generally bear a closer resemblance to insects/amphibians and reptiles. Few animals are truly herbivorous, though most are omnivorous and cannibalism is prevalent throughout. There are no herd animals as such on Azovith and there is little interaction between the Dysmanta and the other creatures that share their home.
Some of the more important fauna on Azovith include:
- Cnila - About the size of a black bear, these are sleek, salamander type creatures with twelve legs and thin, elongated snouts. They are covered in poisonous spines that they can erect much like a porcupine.
- Takshan birds - Their bodies resemble an extremely lean, whippish, dragon type shape. They possess forked tails, leathery wings and bird-like heads with dangerous, serrated beaks. The Takshan birds spend a great deal of time in the upper reaches of Ia, although they build their nests in the mountains of Azovith and by watching their flight patterns, mating cycles and general behaviour it is possible to discern when the change of seasons will take place. For example, before the onset of winter the Takshan birds will disappear completely from the sky.
- Alsiraz - Large, grey, dog sized arachnids that spin corrosive webbing. Since Azovith exists in an outer dimension it is sometimes mistakenly accessed by novice practitioners of magic. The guardians act as a defensive mechanism, since they flock to inter-dimensional rifts and will generally be the ones sent through if any attempts at summoning take place. With predictably lethal results.
- Helocanths - These are truly, enormous beings. On average over five hundred feet tall, they are insectoid in nature and bear a great deal of resemblance to the Dysmanta themselves. Slow moving and generally non-aggressive, they are thought to be the vessels of the Gods, left behind. Despite the generally agreed upon fact that these creatures will play host to their Gods should a message ever need to be sent, most Dysmanta feel no particular reverence to them as they exist as mere shells at this point. The Abaada are able to telepathically communicate and 'steer' these animals, should the need arise.
Major Natural Landmarks
Jespith
At eighteen miles high, Jespith is both the largest and tallest mountain in Azovith. Notable in Dysmantan mythology for being the Seat of the Gods, the source of the river Jbaal is found somewhere near Jespiths peak. Home to Abazos, a popular destination for the Dysmantan Aristocracy - Abazos is a small, green valley, the location of what was once the Temple of Apiostella, now converted into a palace of leisure by Azos Afzal I after the Third Great War.
Kawv
The monstrous ‘trees’ that make up the Forest of Kawv bear little resemblance to earth’s own. The smallest trunks will usually surpass fifty meters in circumference and their branches are thick, with large, tough leaves. Kawv is as arresting as any mountain and far more dangerous, for though the mountains in Azovith are usually free or sparingly populated, the forest is host to all manner of strange creatures.
Tep
The sea of Tep is half frozen at all times, deep and black and imposing. The only animals which dwell within it do so at its bottom, nearer the surface Tep is completely lifeless. It is the largest body of water in Azovith, lately work has begun on constructing a bridge across its 2,400 mile width.
Despan
The Despan mountain range averages a height of about eight miles and was home to the first capital city of the Dysmanta, before the First Great War. The ruins are still there. It is extremely cold, covered in deep snow all year round and, in part, networked with dangerous crevasses and unstable ice.
Sentients
- Main article: Dysmanta
Politics
Countries
The entirety of the vast land of Azovith is under the control of one governing power. There are no cultural or political differences to be found in the north or the south and no divisions of land into smaller constituencies or countries. Due to a number of factors, no Dysmantan would ever be likely to identify as even a 'northerner' or a 'southerner, but only as a Dysmantan or more rarely, Azovithan.
Major Cities
Dyspyres
- Size: ~50 square miles (Nadir = 6 miles, Zenith = 3 miles)
- Population: ~ 360.4 Million
- Location: The Northmost Point of Azovith, at the foot of Jespith.
- Adith: Vespyres Vespion
Dyspyres is the capital city of Azovith. Within it, one finds the Royal Tower of the Azoskin and the High Towers of the Abaada. On a clear day, Dyspyres can be seen from any place in Azovith, the top of the Royal Tower rising up to around three miles in height. From a distance the city resembles a collection of great Cathedral Termite mounds. The structures are huge, wide and soaring. Seemingly more organic than man made, and such is the case. The towers were built by the Termasi after the First War and the relocation of the Capital.
The lower levels are basic made from a mixture of chewed wood, rock, soil, saliva etc. Dyspyres at its ground level is a mixture of tiny, labyrinthine streets, stores and hovels. Constantly crawling with lower class Dysmanta and impossible to navigate without being a Dysmantan yourself. There are no street signs, no obvious paths, and numerous tunnels leading in and out of the underground or into the Lesser Towers.
As the city rises it becomes more ornate. The towers become more elegant, though no less alien, and are patch worked with gold and other precious metals. The construction of such towers took the deaths of millions of Termasi, as the materials they were forced to build with were highly toxic. The end result is stunning, a Faberge egg of a city. The Royal Tower is especially intricate. The High and Royal towers are constantly being reworked, re-jewelled and re-enamelled. The detail put into the designs is excruciating, no less so for the fact that it is unlikely anyone will ever have the opportunity to see such work up close.
Dyspyres’ underground is the completely antithesis to such luxury. Hopelessly intricate, dark and claustrophobic, it is just as much a masterpiece of engineering as the upper city. Many lower class Dysmanta will never even emerge from these subterranean levels and spend their entire lives toiling underground.
Spyndar
- Size: ~62 square miles (Nadir = 4 miles, Zenith = 2 Miles)
- Population: ~ 240 Million
- Location: Between Dyspyres and Despan.
- Adith: Ars Vespion
Spyndar is sometimes referred to as little Dyspyres, for in terms of appearance and population it has much in common. It is here you find the Dysmantan courts and the Halls of Records and is home to many of the political and bureaucratic goings on of the land. Spyndar is also known as the White City, for its towers are built upon a framework of marble, it being a newer city than Dyspyres and its construction rather more fussily elaborate and unnecessarily showy.
Nova Basc
- Size: ~2 square miles (Nadir = 8 miles, Zenith = 0.2 Miles)
- Population: ~ 50.4 Million
- Location: South East Azovith
- Adith: Valshik Vespion
Nova Basc is primarily a military town and stronghold. The bulk of the Dysmantan military reside in this deep, underground city. Its aboveground portion is situated on the top of a high plateau in the otherwise flat lands of the south, a perfect tactical position as the rocky makeup of the ground surrounding the city makes digging in nigh impossible without being spotted by the watchtowers.
Whilst Nova Basc does not boast the impressive architecture of Dyspyres or Spyndar (desert storms rendering anything but the most solidly built structures impractical) the interior décor of the military elite's offices and quarters are as opulent as anything found in the High Towers of the Capital. The deep affiliation that the Vespion family have with the military makes sure of this and the underground dwelling places of even the lowest ranking soldier are far superior to the narrow, crowded slums of Dyspyres lower levels.
Nova Basc is also home to one of the Dysmantan preparatory schools, Preis Vith.
Mulcion
- Size: ~175 square miles (Nadir = 7 miles, Zenith = 0.5 Miles)
- Population: ~ 670 Million
- Location: South West Azovith
- Adith: Afzala Vespion
Mulcion is the industrial and mining town of Azovith, it has the highest concentration of Dysmanta in the land, almost all of them lower class and working constantly beneath ground. Precious metals, gems, and raw materials in all shapes and forms are harvested here. Construction of tools, clothes and ornamentation and other goods are built on the surface and the fungal farms below are now relied on for the bulk of sustenance for the lower class in other cities.
Dupre
- Size: ~0.2 square miles (Nadir = 0.7 miles, Zenith = 4 Miles)
- Population: ~ 10,000
- Location: In the centre of Cawv
- Adith: N/A
Dupre is notable for being the only ‘city’ as such, without an Adith, a self sustaining community; it consists of little more than one tower - The Tower of Philosophy. It is here where minds go to seriously study the powers of the Dysmanta, their magical abilities, their ideology, the future of their society and other reflections. It exists as a mirror to the First Temple in Dyspyres.
Manufactured Landmarks
Most of the cities in Azovith would be rightly classified as landmarks due to their size. Dyspyres in particular is viewable from all over the north, until it becomes obscured by Despan. The south of Azovith is also peppered with the imposing, toppled ruins of cities from the Third Great War.
Relevant Characters
Player Characters & Other Major Characters
Mesostim Antodea
- Main article: Mesostim Antodea
Excerpt due.
Non-Player Characters & Associated Characters
TBA
